1st Update: 2024-25 BKT EuroCup Power Rankings
Valencia went into the season as No. 1 in the Power Rankings. Are they still there as we near the midway mark? How high is Bahcesehir and what about the two Israeli teams? Here are the Power Rankings.
Record four-time champions Valencia Basket went into the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season as No. 1 in the Power Rankings. Are they still there as we near the midway mark? How high is Bahcesehir College Istanbul and what about the two Israeli teams Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem and Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv? Which is the biggest mover up the Power Rankings?
All those questions are answered in the First Update of the Power Rankings.
20. (-) Veolia Towers Hamburg - 2-6
Group B ranking: 10 (-)
Hamburg may have two victories in Group B but they still have performed as the worst team in the league. And they stay at No. 20 in the Power Rankings. Not only are they last in offensive rating but they are third to last in defensive rating making for the worst team in efficiency difference. Hamburg give up the ball the most with 16.9 turnovers and while they take the third most threes, Hamburg only make 32.6%. Brae Ivey and Kur Kuath are two of the few bright spots for this team.
19. (-1) Aris Midea Thessaloniki - 2-6
Group B ranking: 9 (-)
Aris drop one spot to 19th as they are last in scoring, last in assist percentage and last in turnover percentage. Vasilis Toliopoulos ranks fourth in scoring at 18.4 points because he is hitting a league-best 3.8 three-pointers per game. Losing second-leading scorer David DeJulius to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the EuroLeague definitely did not help this team’s chances of success.
18. (+1) Trefl Sopot - 0-8
Group A ranking: 10 (-)
You might ask how the only team without a victory in the competition could jump a spot, but winless Trefl have two overtime losses as well as four defeats by seven points or fewer. Trefl have struggled defensively, second to last in defensive rating. And one of their other key problems is lack of depth. They can stick with teams for a while but then the other teams with longer benches just destroy Trefl over periods in the game and that’s too much to overcome.
17. (-) 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys - 2-5
Group B ranking: 8 (-)
Lietkabelis stay pat at 17th and while it would be nice to put the Lithuanians higher, it’s hard to really find the reasons to move them ahead of teams coming after them. Lietkabelis are second in offensive rebounds and offensive rebounding percentage but that doesn’t make up for being last in threes made and three-point percentage (27.1%). The Lithuanians’ guards are too small and can be taken advantage of while someone like Gediminas Orelik is missing - the outside marksman leaving after three years with the club. The big-man duo of Andrija Stipanovic and Marko Pecarski cannot make up for the team’s issues.
16. (-2) Buducnost VOLI Podgorica - 3-5
Group A ranking: 9 (-2)
Buducnost fall two spots as the team has struggled on defense with a defensive rating of 117.7 - fourth worst in the league. There are some nice pieces - Yogi Ferrell, Kenan Kamenjas and the absolute sniper Fletcher Magee. But the team just has not been able to come up with the defensive stops when needed.
15. (-3) Turk Telekom Ankara - 4-4
Group B ranking: 7 (-1)
Turk Telekom drop three spots as they are struggling at the offensive end. They rank second to last in scoring and in threes made with a lower third offensive rating. Turk Telekom’s defense has been solid at times but they don’t create enough ball pressure with just 5.5 steals per game - second fewest in the league. Braian Angola has helped the team’s offensive cause since his move from Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, but the rest of the team will need to step up to make Turk Telekom a serious contender as they rank dead last in two-point shooting percentage at 50.7%.
14. (-3) Dolomiti Energia Trento - 3-5
Group A ranking: 8 (-3)
Another team that drops three spots - Trento just do not grab offensive rebounds - last in the league at 9.1 per game - and they haven’t made their three-pointers - second to last at 28.6%. There are weapons with Jordan Ford and Anthony Lamb but the rest of the squad has not helped them enough.
13. (-) Umana Reyer Venice - 3-5
Group B ranking: 6 (+1)
Reyer remain at No. 13 as in the original Power Rankings and that is because little has changed compared to the original opinion. Rodney McGruder has been okay and the Canadian trio of Tyler Ennis, Kyle Wiltjer and Mfiondu Kabengele has really only been a duo as Ennis only played the first two games. If the playmaker were on board that would change things, and topping the league in assist percentage at 71.2% is very good. But the team turns the ball over too much and doesn’t play tough enough defense.
12. (-8) Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul - 4-4
Group A ranking: 7 (-4)
One of the biggest fallers and this one kind of hurts because it basically means “In Needham and Alimpijevic we trust” is no longer applicable. Besiktas still hold a big spot in my heart with guys like Kyle Allman and Emanuel Terry, but the question is what will happen when their threes don’t fall. They rank third in threes made (11.1) and second in three-point shooting percentage (39.2%). This drop might look too drastic when it’s all said and done, but the question marks are too high right now.
11. (+5) ratiopharm Ulm - 4-4
Group A ranking: 6 (+3)
Wait, how can Ulm be ahead of Besiktas when Besiktas beat the German side by 33 points. Well, that game was a game of death for Ulm. It was a Monday after a heart-breaking German Cup loss over the weekend and two days ahead of the biggest game for most of those Ulm players’ lives - the NBA exhibition game versus the Portland Trail Blazers. So, that game really shouldn’t be taken too largely into account. Ulm have been surprisingly solid with an overtime win to start the season, victories over Joventut Badalona and Trento as well as tight losses at Buducnost and Bahcesehir College Istanbul. Noa Essengue and Ben Saraf have been very, very good for them being teenagers while Justinian Jessup and Alfonso Plummer have been two of the biggest revelations of the season.
10. (-7) Joventut Badalona - 3-5
Group A ranking: 5 (-3)
Those who listen to the Gone Traveling podcast might be surprised that Joventut didn’t tumble even further … but this still is Joventut and the drop was seven spots. This team remains unspectacular though it seems almost a must that Sam Dekker should be kept to give them some much needed scoring boost late in games as well as some pressure on the ball - the team is last in steals at 4.9. Joventut still have guys like Ante Tomic, Devon Dotson, Artem Pustovyi, Kassius Robertson and Adam Hanga. Still, it’s hard to imagine this squad as is being a serious threat for the EuroCup title.
9. (-) Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana - 4-4
Group B ranking: 5 (-1)
Cedevita have been exactly what we thought they could be - much more successful than the last two nightmare seasons. Jaka Blazic has been needed too often to save the team late in games though. Devin Robertson has emerged as a EuroLeague level player and DeVante’ Jones has been strong. But the team just is too inconsistent.
8. (-) U-BT Cluj-Napoca - 4-4
Group B ranking: 4 (-1)
Cluj actually have to be pretty happy with their situation right now in fourth place in Group B despite a 4-4 record. The team has been absolutely fantastic and nightmarish - all in one game, for example against Valencia. But all the pieces are there for the Romanians. Xavier Simpson, Karel Guzman, Adam Mokoka and Zach Hankins have this team ranked second in scoring but they just turn the ball over too often - 16.4 turnovers per game. But all the weapons are there as Cluj are just as dangerous as thought to start the year.
7. (+8) Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius - 5-3
Group A ranking: 4 (+4)
The biggest riser in the Power Rankings is Wolves, who jumped eight spots to seventh. They are red hot with a five-game winning streak after three losses to start the season. The Lithuanians have won nine of their last 10 games - falling to Juventus on October 19 - and included in that stretch are also wins domestically over Zalgiris Kaunas and Rytas Vilnius just before the FIBA break. That will be a massive boost for their confidence as the EuroCup streak includes victories over Besiktas, Gran Canaria and Trento. This team is really loaded with Andrew Andrews and Anthony Cowan running the show and then the likes of Jeffery Taylor, Tre’Shawn Thurman, Marek Blazevic and Matas Jogela. If Arnoldas Kulboka can make it back to the court, he would give Wolves an even bigger boost.
6. (+4) Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse - 5-3
Group B ranking: 3 (+2)
Bourg also make a big jump from No. 10 to No. 6 as the finalists from last season are still very strong - though not all the numbers show it. Bourg rank first in steals at 9.3 per game and commit the fewest turnovers in the league a 11.4. One of Bourg’s biggest advantages is their balance. Xavier Castaneda is the only player in double figure scoring at 14.3. But six more players average at least 7.5 points a game. Hugo Benitez has an outstanding assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.0 and Mehdy Ngouama’s ratio is 2.8. And the big man duo of Jean-Marc Pansa and Kevin Kokila has been very underrated.
5. (-3) Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv - 5-3
Group A ranking: 3 (-2)
This team drops three spots and the main reason for that is them losing Johnathan Motley - though the situation is still unresolved if he can leave for the EuroLeague. It remains to be seen how this ends - if he stays or if Hapoel bring in someone else. The pieces are certainly there with Marcus Foster, Patrick Beverley, Joe Ragland Ish Wainright and Bruno Caboclo. Losing Motley is very big … but … Hapoel have brought in successful EuroLeague head coach Dimitris Itoudis. And you would have to think the team will go out and add to the roster. So, this is kind of an incomplete grade for now.
4. (+2) Dreamland Gran Canaria - 6-2
Group A ranking: 2 (+3)
Gran Canaria’s jump of two spots is justified even though the team has a lack of scoring at times - ranked 12th in the league - but the defense has held its own with a 103.4 defensive rating, fourth best in the league. Gran Canaria have been in a number of close games. Take away their 47-point win over Ulm, the team’s +/- is -7 if you include a 13-point loss at Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv. All of the other six games have been decided by three points or fewer - with Gran Canaria owning a 5-1 record in those games. Caleb Homesley has been very strong in his return to the EuroCup while Nicolas Brussino has been the team’s best player - and not just in clutch moments. The 34-year-old Andrew Albicy still can do it while John Shurna and Mike Tobey give the team a great mix at the big man spot. This team will benefit from being battle-tested having played in all these close games.
3. (+4) Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem - 6-2
Group B ranking: 2 (-)
Jerusalem look to be the biggest challenger to Valencia in Group B as they have the top spot in defensive rating. Losing Austin Wiley is a big deal but Gabriel Chachashvili has thrived in his chance to fill the role. Jared Harper is playing like a MVP favorite, Speedy Smith has been great since his arrival from Turk Telekom Ankara, Khadeen Carrington does a bit of everything and there are still guys like Jeremy Morgan and Yovel Zoosman. Jerusalem definitely are right there among the top title challengers.
2. (+3) Bahceshir College Istanbul - 7-1
Group A ranking: 1 (+3)
First place in Group A belongs to Bahcesehir and the Turkish side appears right now as the only team that can realistically challenge Valencia for the title. This is basically a EuroLeague team that leads the competition in three-point percentage at 39.3% while committing the second-fewest turnovers at 11.9. Jaleen Smith, Sehmus Hazer, Mateusz Ponitka, Tyler Cavanaugh, Tai Odiase and Marko Simonovic make up an intimidating group and CJ Massenburg will come back from injury as well. How does Bahcesehir stack up with Valencia? The Spaniards are first in offensive rating at 124.8 and third defensive rating at 102.2 while Bahcesehir rank second in both at 122.3 and 101.8. A three-game set between these two teams for the EuroCup title seems inevitable. And what a showdown that will be.
1. (-) Valencia Basket - 7-0
Group B ranking: 1 (-)
But Valencia still own the top spot in the Power Rankings. How could they not? Pedro Martinez’s team ranks first in scoring, threes made, assists, offensive rebounds and total rebounds. They have a great group of guards in Jean Montero, Brancou Badio, Stefan Jovic and Chris Jones (who only just made his EuroCup season debut in Round 8) to go with a forward lineup of Xabi Lopez-Arostegui, Nathan Sestina and Semi Ojeleye while Matt Costello, Ethan Happ and Jaime Pradilla make up a three-headed monster at center. Martinez can play big or small, fast or slow, inside or outside. The only real question in the EuroCup this season is if anybody can really challenge Valencia.
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